1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lubricants used for medicinal purposes and to skin care compositions, and particularly to a therapeutic ultrasound gel used as a lubricant during ultrasonography procedures that enhances the transmission of sound waves and that also helps to prevent the formation of stretch marks.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ultrasonography is a diagnostic technique that uses ultrasound scanning to produce images on a cathode ray tube or television screen. It is widely used in obstetrics for several purposes, including confirming pregnancy under circumstances where hormonal tests cannot be used, for establishing gestational age and the number of fetuses, for determining sex of the fetus, for detecting fetal abnormalities or fetal death, for monitoring fetal growth, as an adjunct to amniocentesis, etc. Ultrasound Doppler scanning may also be used to test fetal blood flow. Ultrasonography is a valuable technique, since it provides a safe alternative to roentographic or X-ray techniques.
The procedure typically will involve the application of a gel to the patient's abdomen. A piezoelectric transducer that generates sound waves at a frequency in the range of 2.25 to 7.0 MHz is placed in the gel and moved across the abdomen to form images at different angles. The sound waves reflect off tissues to produce an echo signal that can be converted to images that can be viewed on a screen and interpreted by a competent medical practitioner. The gel lubricates the abdomen and prevents the sound waves from being trapped or reflected by air pockets that might distort the image and lead to an incorrect diagnosis. Typically, after completion of the ultrasound examination, any remaining gel is wiped off the patient's abdomen. While several gels are available, there is still a need for a gel that can enhance the transmission of sound waves from the transducer into the abdominal cavity.
A common concern in pregnancy is that some pregnant women develop stretch marks or striae that never completely disappear. The striae may be purple during pregnancy, but usually turn white over a period of time after the pregnancy is resolved. Although the stretching of the abdominal skin during pregnancy is an initiating factor, it is thought that other factors may result in the skin losing its natural elasticity, with the resulting development of permanent striae that many women regard as an embarrassing disfigurement. A variety of compositions have been touted as preventing the formation of stretch marks or promoting restoration of the skin's elasticity to cosmetically heal the striae, but none have been found to be completely effective.
Thus, a therapeutic ultrasound gel solving the aforementioned problems is desired.